The Trouble with Suprises and Insecure Boyfriends
by kathrynw221291
Summary: established merthur. merlin has a surprise for arthur, but arthur starts freaking out when merlin isnt there when he wakes up in their bed. smut and fluff ensue. little bit of semi-angst but merlin fixes it.


**The Trouble with Surprises and Insecure Boyfriends.**

**Modern AU Merlin/Arthur **

**Smutty stuff**

**Fluffy**

**Merthur **

Arthur awoke slowly, blearily opening his blue eyes to stare around the bedroom. He had thought he would see his boyfriend asleep next to him, all mussed-up inky hair and flushed cheeks, but the other man wasn't there. The space where Merlin had lain was cold and evacuated some time ago.

Where the hell was he, then? Arthur wracked his brains searching for a nugget of information that would let him know the whereabouts of his boyfriend. Nothing came to mind, however. If Merlin had plans with friends or his mum, then Arthur always knew them; either through Merlin telling him, or from writing adorable post-it notes and leaving them on the calendar on the fridge. A few scenarios barreled through Arthur's head as to why Merlin would leave the flat without telling him; a surprise? A tragedy? If he forgot to pick something up from the shops? If he left his favourite journal in the café they often visited? None of them seemed likely, but Arthur reached for his mobile phone and quickly text Merlin asking him if everything was okay, and when he would be back. That done Arthur decided to drag himself out of bed.

It was a Saturday, so Arthur didn't have work at the factory again until Monday, which was beautiful. And it also meant, normally at least, snuggling in bed until lunch time with Merlin, not having any responsibilities for the entire weekend (other than the medical-science assignments Merlin had to finish to actually pass his university course, but they could wait until after morning snuggles). Scrubbing a hand over his face and through his hair, Arthur padded through to the kitchen, boiling the kettle and making himself a cup of tea, dropping his phone onto the table and letting thoughts of Merlin, and the very eventful night before pour through his head. Those were some very nice images; mainly of Merlin's thin body writhing above him, his pale hips snapping back and forth, and Arthur's eyes rolling back in his head as he moaned his boyfriend's name until his throat was hoarse. Last night had been very good; a glorious end to Arthur's week.

Merlin had been snuggled up in a blanket on the floor, about a hundred text books spread around him, all open and full of jargon Arthur couldn't wrap his head around. When Arthur had arrived in the evening the dark-haired man had bounded up and practically ran at him, hugging him tightly and nuzzling into his neck. Arthur had found it so adorable he had walked, while kissing and embracing, them into the bedroom and tumbled Merlin onto the bed, not emerging for coherent thought for a good few hours of Merlin-worship. The sex was wonderful, as it always was. They worked together in unison, moaning and thrusting and _loving_ each other, not wanting to hurt or cause any harm, just showing how much they missed each other.

Thinking about it as he sipped his tea, Arthur felt suddenly bereft, almost lonely. Where was his Merlin now? He wanted to hug him and tell him he missed waking up with him. They would normally drink their tea together, watch bad daytime telly until lunch and then shower, get dressed and just hang out for the entire day. Not doing anything particularly important, unless it was a very dire occasion where Merlin had forgotten to finish his assignment until the last minute (this happened a lot more than it should) or Arthur and his father were having some work-related crisis (this happened very rarely, thank god!). So for Merlin to be up and out of the flat before Arthur had even woken up, had the blonde on edge. He spent an hour or so texting their friends asking whether they knew something he didn't about where Merlin might be. Sadly none of them knew. Gwaine and Percival had rang him back and said something about Merlin making about five trips into town in the past couple of days, Arthur hadn't even know that. Why was Merlin suddenly keeping all these secrets from him? Maybe there was someone in town he was visiting? A new friend? Or a secret lover? No; Merlin wouldn't do that to him. Or Arthur really hoped he wouldn't. No, his Merlin loved him, didn't he? Could he really cheat on him? Was this really a scenario Arthur was plausibly thinking about? Fuck!

Suffice to say Arthur was going stir-crazy worrying about Merlin and where he was and who he was seeing and what he was doing. A million horrible thoughts went through Arthur's head; Merlin was hurt somewhere? Merlin was having breakfast and drinking tea with his secret other boyfriend and would return to Arthur without a bother? Merlin was looking at other houses so he didn't have to put up with the blonde any longer? Merlin was going to leave him? Merlin was being pressed into his secret other boyfriend's mattress and kissed senseless?

It was just turning 1pm when there was a scraping of a key in the door. Arthur was up and towards the hallway in seconds, his nerves ragged and his hands shaking slightly. He wasn't angry or anything, just really fearful of what might happen next. Was he about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him? Was their relationship of four years about to shatter to pieces?

Merlin walked into the flat, a smile on his face, ready to greet his boyfriend. However Arthur looked fearful, and wrung out, not what Merlin had been expecting. Without removing his coat or scarf the dark-haired man moved to cup Arthur's face, asking what was wrong.

"Baby, are you alright? What happened? Is it the factory? Talk to me, Arthur" Merlin whispered while staring into his boyfriend's stricken face. What could possibly have happened to cause him so much distress?

"y-you were gone. That's what happened. I didn't know where- are you-

Arthur's sentence was stuttered and a bit broken apart. The sound of his voice all hollow and pained cut straight through Merlin. The blonde cut himself off at the end, he didn't know if he could bear to say it aloud: _are you leaving me?_

"I was, I'm sorry, I was going to text you but I had no credit. Am I what? Arthur?" Merlin asked, steering them towards the squishy red sofa in the living room, starting to really worry now.

"Are you leaving me? Is there someone else? Am I not good enough? What did I do wrong?" Arthur said, letting all the horrible things in his head pour out of his mouth. Merlin looked horrified by what he was saying.

"Oh, Arthur, no I'm not leaving you. Not at all. I love you, why would you think that?" Merlin asked in a choked voice, crawling forwards and sitting in Arthur's lap, cradling his blonde head to his chest.

"W-well you weren't here when I woke up, and then people said you had been going into town all week a-and I started to freak out about it. And I'm stupid. And you could do so much better than me and-mmph

Merlin cut Arthur's sad little drabble off with his own lips, pressing their mouths together in a clumsy kiss, trying to convey so much through the contact. He wrapped his arms around Arthur's shoulders and pushing their bodies together closer.

"I'm not seeing anyone else, I wouldn't do that to you." Merlin reiterated, placing a little kiss on Arthur's nose, causing the blonde to smile fondly and hold his hips lightly in his warm hands that Merlin loved so much.

"And as for why I've been going into town without telling you? It was going to be a surprise for tonight, but as you've been thinking god knows what about me and some mystery man, I'll tell you now." Merlin started to remove his coat, scarf, shirt and long-sleeved undershirt, leaving him only in a t-shirt.

Arthur frowned at him and looked at the layers of clothes Merlin had removed. With a raise of his eyebrows, that in itself caused Merlin to giggle and kiss him again, Arthur finally got the little bit of information he had needed all morning.

"I got my nipples pierced, baby." Merlin answered, slipping the t-shirt over his head and revealing his creamy-pale chest and reddened nipples with little silver ball-bars through them. Arthur's jeans tightened minutely and the blonde swore his mouth watered. He loved Merlin's nipples very much, and they looked even better like this. All decorated and just asking to be sucked and licked and bitten.

"Oh. So going to town was for...this?" Arthur whispered back, running his hands up and down Merlin's ribs, almost tickling him. Merlin nodded, staring at Arthur through his long dark eyelashes and smiling the smallest bit.

"Yeah, I had to get a few health checks and choose the bars and book the appointment. I didn't mean to make you worry, love. I'm sorry." Merlin looked guiltily at his boyfriend, playing with the strands of his blue scarf, blushing dark pink.

"I forgive you, Merlin. This is much better than all that shit I was thinking about. I'm sorry too; for accusing you and being stupid." Arthur pulled Merlin back towards him, kissing him hard and running his thumbs gently over the new piercings. Merlin whined into his mouth at the soft touch.

"They're still sensitive. Ahh A-Arthur." Merlin couldn't keep the shudder of pleasure from running through his body as his boyfriend kissed his way down his long pale neck and collarbone.

"They look great, by the way. So sexy, Merlin. I can forgive you this little secret." Arthur mouthed against his sternum, not touching the actual nipples but placing kisses and licks all around them. He felt one of Merlin's long-fingered hands slide to the back of his head and card through his hair. Arthur took that as encouragement and moved a little closer to the left nipple, still not actually touching.

"Permission to get a proper _feel_ for these new piercings? A proper _taste_ for them?" Arthur asked, detaching from Merlin's chest to look up at him and lustily grin. Merlin nodded, not able to coherently answer through lack of brain function. All of the blood from his brain was currently being utilized lower down. Just about where his boyfriend was bent in half, grinding his perfect ass backwards with every move of his mouth and tongue. The next thing he knew, the mouth in question was wrapped around the nipple, piercing and all, sucking and licking the sensitive bud. Merlin closed his eyes against the golden colour flaring in his usually-blue pupils. Ripples of something-that-wasn't-magic rolling all over his body as Arthur tweaked with his fingers and licked and sucked with his mouth.

Then the hand around his other nipple was gone, to be replaced with Arthur's mouth. Warm fingers skated down over Merlin's abs and were skillfully unbuttoning and unzipping his dark purple jeans. Arthur groaned when he felt how hard Merlin already was, the blonde wrapped his fingers tightly around his boyfriend's dick, tugging and thumbing the slit slowly. Merlin yelped at the multiple pleasures Arthur was issuing, this was too one-sided for him; he needed to give Arthur something back. He slid his own hand down the blonde's back and into his pyjama bottoms, feeling happily that Arthur was still wearing no boxers, as he had been the night before.

"Ah-Merlin mmm so sexy. I love you." Arthur said, letting his own cock free and rutting it against Merlin's which he still held in his large hand. Merlin's sensitive nipples were being ignored, in favour of dark love bites being suckled into his long neck and shoulder. he pulled back and looked Merlin over, his nipples a dusky pink with a couple teeth marks in places and his cheeks the same pink colour, he was looking so abused and beautiful, Arthur really wasn't going to last much longer in this frenzied action. That was the exact though going through his mind as he felt two wet fingertips slide into him, stretching him in the most glorious way. Arthur didn't know how or when Merlin had lubed his fingers, or been able to get them down between his legs, but that really didn't matter. What mattered was how fucking good it all felt.

A few more thrusts of those lovely fingers and Arthur was coming apart, groaning Merlin's name against the dark-haired man's neck and stroking his boyfriends dick hard, hips still rutting like he was in heat. They cam together, shooting the pearly liquid over each other's stomachs, with a combined groan of the other's name.

"I'm really glad you aren't leaving me. I would really kiss having you around." Arthur whispered against Merlin's parted lips. Merlin nodded minutely, pushing forwards and initiating a gentle romantic kiss.

"I'm never leaving you. Not ever." Merlin whispered back earnestly, lying down next to Arthur, dragging his t-shirt off the back of the sofa to clean them both up. Once done he took Arthur's hand in his and kissed the back of it.

"Good. I love you Merlin. Sorry for freaking out." Arthur murmured, placing a kiss to Merlin's bare shoulder. He felt Merlin shake his head in dismissal.

"I love you too." Merlin replied softly, snuggling back into Arthur's also-naked chest, loving the warmth and beauty of the moment. When Arthur slid his hand across his stomach and idly stroked his abs and sternum, Merlin knew they would be okay. That the fear and terror Arthur had felt at his disappearance was slowly dwindling to nothingness. Currently being replaced by afterglow of sex and Merlin would make sure he would always remind Arthur that he was there to stay, for good.

"And if I didn't tell you expressly, I _really_ love the piercings." Arthur huffed a laugh against the hair at the nape of Merlin's neck, kissing lightly against his bony shoulder blade. Merlin started to chuckle too, not being able to keep the goofy grin off his face for the rest of the day.

They would be okay. Merlin's nipples had never caused so much of a kerfuffle before. And as serious as Arthur had been that morning, he remembered that Merlin wasn't going to leave him. They were practically married already; all he needed to do was secure his dark haired warlock with a ring and a marriage contract. He might even buy him diamond

Nipple rings especially for the occasion. That was for the not-so-far-away future though, for now he could be happy in the notion that Merlin was most definitely his. Nipple piercings and all.

**Hope this is okay.**

**First adventure into the Merlin fanfiction domain. **


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